Type of Hero

Geokinetic Hero

“

Maybe I just can't turn my back on people when they're down!

„

~ Bolin to Mako

Bolin is the tritagonist, later overall tertartagonist of The Legend of Korra. He serves as the tritagonist in the first two seasons and tehn the tertartagonist in the second two seasons. Bolin is an earthbender in Rebublic City with his brother, Mako, and one of the first people Korra meets when arriving to train with her mentor Tenzin. His naturally chipper demanor gave Korra a fast friend in after her move to the city. Through Bolin Korra and Mako also become fast friends and the three start off as team-mates in Probending which establishes them as team-mates for stopping various threats Korra must deal with as The Avatar.

Contents

Background

Bolin and his brother. Mako are Pro-Benders. Benders are those who are born with the power to manipulate the elements, decendants of various people touched by spirits a long time ago, whose powers awaken based on natural talent and refined through varouius diciplines. Pro-Benders are sports stars who use bending as form of competition. Bending is passed down along family lines and as such for generations benders can be seperated by the nations they are from.

Republic City was founded by the previous Avatar, Avatar Aang. Aang stopped the mad-king of the Fire Nation gone warlord, Fire-Lord Ozai, from destroying the Earth Nation, halting him as he first started across the tip of it burning an island to the ground with his power. Ozai was defeated on the island and as it needed to be-rebuilt anyway and Aang had saved the world The Earth Nation granted the island independence and Aang founed a new common-wealth there which would become Republic City. Republic city is a melting pot for the Four Nations and members from across the world came there to co-mingle or find new oppertunities. Unfortunatly some of the oppertunies sought were criminal ones and though Republic City is diverse it also has serious crime issues, espeically since many criminals are benders, using their powers and the powers of fellow gang members to commit crimes that are hard to stop since potenially all the elements can be involved in a single heist.

The Fire Ferrets

It was in this enviroment Bolin and Mako were born. Bolin and Mako's father, San was from the Earth Nation and their mother, Naoki was from the Fire Nation. As it turned out both of brothers were Benders, with Bolin as an Earthbender and Mako as a Firebender. Originally Bolin and Mako used their abilies for the gangs but soon gave up crime, both because they disliked stealing to get by and because they felt Republic City gangsters were largly not worth dealing with for money. When Pro-Bending matches opened up Bolin and Mako realized they could use their powers to make an honestly living by competing as team for entertainment. Though there are four elements the Air-Nation was massacured to a man saved for Avatar Aaang and his children were the only remaining air-benders, because of this though all benders are allow in spirit largly only the other three, fire, water and earth are competitors. Each team in Pro-Bending is made up of three members one for Earthbening, one for Firebending and one for Waterbending. Bolin and Mako's team is named the Fire Ferrets after Bolin's pet fire ferret Pabu, which they use as a team mascot. Though they originally had a third member as a waterbender, he quit after several loses leaving Mako and Bolin unable to compete.

Korra had been admiring the new sport shortly after arriving in the city and caught the walk-out of the third Fire Ferret while dropping by to meet the team. Bolin was almost instantly smiten with Korra and tried to make her feel appreciated as a fan. Upon hearing they would no longer be able to compete Korra offered her services as bender. Though Mako was originally hesitant to just allow a walk in on the team Bolin preasured his brother to accept her and with no other options Mako copetulated. Korra became the third member of the Fire Ferrets. Bolin, Mako and all of Republic City quickly discovered the new member of the Fire Ferrets was The Avatar, the new reincarnation of Aang shortly after she started competing when she was able to manipulate all four elements. Though the judges had to allow all forms of bending and were not prepared for airbending let alone someone who could manipulate all four elements at once, they ruled that Korra must isolate her bending to only one element per match to keep the game fair. With Korra as a star player because of the new precident she set The Fire Ferrets fandom increased and turned the team into semi-stars. Bolin continued to try to endear himself to Korra, at first as friend then later as a boyfriend. Bolin was nearly crushed when he found out Korra was attracted to Mako and though the romance was dashed early the three managed to remain friends and through Pro-bending became some-what inseperatable. As more and more dangers arose in Republic City that the Avatar was olbigated to deal with Bolin and Mako more and more began to help Korra out reguardless of Pro-bending matches.

Personality

Bolin is mainly both laid-back and excitable. He likes to have fun and is eager to engage with others. Bolin ussually tries to find method of resolving conflict outside of fighting, however he will still engage in combat once it is started. Bolin is frequently seen as immature by Mako but also does his best to cheer up his normally dour brother. Korra takes to fun and game much easier than Mako but is still weighed down with responsiblty, which Bolin does his best to relieve with acts of levity.

Bolin is very protective of the people he care about whom he cares about. He will act immediately if one of his friends is threatened. When Mako's girlfriend and the fourth friend in their circle, Asami Sato, is threaten Bolin instantly leaps to action to proptect her from harm. Though Bolin gets highly emotional he is also very forgivng of others, sometime to a fault. This lack of emotional control and naivity towards others ended up with him being declared the boyfriend and later fiance of the Water Tribe princess Eska and briefly her fiance, despite being mistreated by the sadistic, though ultimatly good-hearted, princess.